Lackawanna County is aiming to quickly purchase a building in downtown Scranton to meet its office space needs, with at least 10 properties now under active consideration.
The commissioners voted Wednesday to spend up to $12,000 for a professional evaluation of one of the prospects: Kane Professional Building, 116 N. Washington Ave., which is owned by a partnership that includes members of former Commissioner Robert C. Cordaro's family.
Majority Commissioners Corey O'Brien and Jim Wansacz said the evaluation is needed to determine how much the county would have to spend to renovate the building. They insisted it is not a sign the administration favors the Kane building over any other.
No decision made
"That is not true," Mr. O'Brien said. "We have made no decisions on it, and it would be presumptive to suggest this one is more in contention than others. They are all being looked at equally."
The majority commissioners have been reviewing properties downtown for a year with an eye on buying a building to alleviate a looming office space squeeze.
County leases on two downtown buildings that house key government offices, One Pyramid Center, 409-415 Spruce St., and the Brooks Building at 436 Spruce St., are set to expire this year. The money the county now spends on leases would be used for the building acquisition, the commissioners said.
Mr. O'Brien said the administration would like to wrap up the purchase of a building "as quickly as we can."
10 properties on list
The commissioner said a multitude of properties - "at least 10" - are on the county's list of potential acquisitions. He and Mr. Wansacz declined to identify the other buildings.
For most of the properties, county officials have already determined how much would have to be spent on renovations because the properties "are new buildings or newly renovated or gutted," Mr. O'Brien said.
However, because of its age and configuration, the three-story Kane building presents "unique renovation issues" that required a professional review to document what the actual costs will be, he said.
"We need to know the real numbers," Mr. O'Brien said. "We don't have money to squander on a bad building."
The commissioners awarded the evaluation contract to the Palumbo Group, 318 Penn Ave. Reflecting what the commissioners regard as a sense of urgency, Palumbo was asked to complete the evaluation within two weeks.
County property records show the Kane building is owned by North Washington Group LLC, which Mr. Wansacz said is owned in turn by members of the Cordaro family.
Mr. Cordaro, who served as commissioner from 2000 to 2008, is serving an 11-year federal prison sentence as a result of his 2011 conviction for soliciting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks from county vendors.
Mr. Cordaro listed himself in 2007 as a 25 percent owner of North Washington Group, although it is unclear if he still has an interest in the company. His brother, Ron Cordaro, said Wednesday he did not know the former commissioner's ownership status.
The majority commissioners said they are concerned only with the asking price and the renovation costs of the buildings they are looking at - not the owners.
"The ownership is not a consideration," Mr. Wansacz said. "We want to get the best value for the taxpayers."
The commissioners also:
- Awarded a $180,000 contract to Lanopy Networks, Shavertown, for the television and data cabling packages at PNC Field, which is undergoing a $43.3 million reconstruction. David Pettinato, deputy director of purchasing, said Lanopy submitted the only proposal, even after the deadline for submissions was extended.
- Accepted a $27,240 proposal from Inflatable Design Group, El Cajon, Calif., for inflatable games for the children's play area at the stadium.
- Presented a "Good Works in Lackawanna County" certificate of recognition to Maggie O'Brien, Amy Konetski and Kristen Herman from the Scranton regional office of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com